After A Long Night
by Laurashley
Summary: ‘I …I just needed to see…to know that you’re…you’re…ok…’ 'Oh Sar..' Post Grave Danger AU fic. Snickers.
1. Unexpected Visit

Summary: 'I …I just needed to see…to know that you're…you're…ok…'

Spoilers: Grave Danger (Season 5 finale)

Disclaimer: Nothing (except the storyline) is mine. They all belong to their respective creators and legal owners.

A/N:

This story came to me after watching trailers and clips for the explosive Season 5 finale- Grave Danger. Please bear in mind that there will be spoilers for this episode. I have not watched Grave Danger yet, so this might not fit in with what really happened.

This is the first story I ever wrote that focuses solely on Sara and Nick. I hope I did ok.

This is also my first story after a very long hiatus, so be gentle with me! I am rather rusty and so is my dust-covered muse.

* * *

Nick came home after talking to Kelly and having a very emotional moment with his parents at their hotel. He was beyond exhausted, both physically and mentally. He just wanted to crawl into bed and not emerge for the next few days.

After sleeping for almost 12 hours, Nick woke to the sound of someone rapping gently on his door. He answered it, still a little groggy and half-asleep, to find Sara Sidle on his doorstep.

'Hey' she said shyly, barely looking at him. He could see that she was feeling uncomfortable but did not know why. He knew that she had been worried about him when he had been … he could not bring him self to say the word. It was all too fresh in his memory, and he wanted nothing more than to forget.

As he was lost in a world of his own, Sara was fighting some misgivings of her own. Maybe he did not want her there. He had been through a lot in the past 24 hours and maybe he just wanted to be alone, away from all the concern and attention that everyone had heaped on him. They all meant well, but she knew that it could just get too overwhelming.

'I …I just needed to see…to know that you're…you're…ok…I'll erm…get out of your hair now…' Sara mumbled as she turned to walk away.

As she turned, Nick took hold of her hand and swept her into a hug. At that contact, the feel of his arms around her and the closeness, the smell of his aftershave enveloping them… She broke down, finally allowing herself to fully acknowledge the fact that they, she, could have lost him.

'Oh Sar…' Nick wasn't doing much better at keeping his emotions in check. Holding her in his arms, hearing her sobs, was more than he could take. He had vowed never to make her cry, and yet here she was, sobbing her heart out over him.

'I'm sorry…'

At his softly spoken apology, Sara's head shot up and she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, searching his for an answer. When he just looked at her sadly, she came to a conclusion. She shouldn't have come.

'No, please, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…'

With that, she pulled herself out of his comforting embrace, and made to leave again.

'Sara…'

She stopped, but did not turn around.

'Where are you going?' Nick asked softly, with a hint of fear in his voice as he approached her. He stopped behind her, but made no move to touch her, not knowing what to do or say to make her stay. He didn't know what was happening here, what was happening with them, but he needed her. He needed to know that she was there for him, to care for him and …if he was being honest, to love him.

For the past few weeks, they had been spending quite some time together outside work. Being on different shifts had made it difficult for them to see much of each other, so they had cherished the times they got together to watch a movie or just to have some drinks or a meal together. It was not exactly dating, yet both of them knew that it was more than just friends hanging out together. Neither mentioned anything about it, not wanting to spoil what they had by trying to put a name to it.

But now, standing outside his apartment, it appeared that the time had come to find out what they really meant to each other.

'Sar… I… you…' Nick was struggling to put his thoughts into words. The events of the day were catching up too him and he was beyond rational thought at that very moment, but he knew that if he let her go now, he would lose her and whatever they had or had the chance to have.

Hearing his stumble over his words and the note of anguish in his words, Sara turned around. The image of Nick standing there with a look of despair and defeat was heart wrenching. He looked like a man who had just lost everything that mattered to him.

She walked over to him and put a gentle hand on his arm. He didn't say anything, he couldn't. He just looked at her hand before tears started falling. He didn't even know what he was crying over. Maybe it was a delayed reaction from what had happened earlier, or …he just didn't know. His life was a mess right now and he didn't know how or where to start clearing it up.

This time, Sara was the one who took matters into her hands. She led them back into Nick's apartment and onto his living room couch. There, she held him as he cried the tears that he could not cry before. They were not the first tears he had shed since the ordeal began, but yet, these were the tears that he needed to shed before he could move on.

As his sobs died away, he began to pull away, a little embarrassed, but Sara held him close, not willing to let go of the man whose head was snuggled in the crook of her neck. 'It's ok Nicky. You'll be ok…' She said gently as she stroked his hair and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

He sniffled and tried to sit up. He looked into her eyes, trying to search for answers to the many unanswered questions he had. Why was she here, would she …

'Do you want me to go?' Sara asked hesitantly as Nick continued to stare at her, not saying a word. As she made to stand up, Nick was jostled back into reality and stopped her.

'No…Sar…stay…please?'

She smiled shyly and nodded. He shifted a little so that he was not leaning against her anymore, but yet still close enough to touch. He needed to touch her, to feel her…

'Sara…'

'Nick…'

They both smiled as they started speaking at the same time.

'You first.'

'Sara, I…' Nick was nervous. He didn't know how to approach the subject without scaring Sara off. He wasn't sure that she was interested in him romantically. Heck, they were good friends, but that did not mean that she wanted to date him. And he was not sure that this was the right time to approach the subject either. What if either one of them was influenced by the circumstances and entered into a relationship for the wrong reasons?

Sara was too precious to lose, either as a friend or a potential partner. Nick's doubt was starting to show on his features as he creased his brows and his face turned into a frown.

But when Sara put her hand into his and entwined their fingers as a sign of encouragement, Nick knew what he had to do. Looking at their conjoined hands, he knew that he had to take the chance, a chance that things would change for the better.

Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, he leaned towards her and kissed her.

It was a gentle and brief, to state intent but not to offend if it was unrequited. To Nick, it was a brief taste of heaven.

As he pulled away, he hesitated in opening his eyes, afraid of what he would see in her eyes.

TBC...


	2. What Now?

When his lips descended on hers, Sara was pleasantly surprised. But left bewildered when it ended all too quickly and he moved away. She looked at him and tried her best not to chuckle. He was looking down at the carpet and looked like a little boy that was waiting for his mother to punish him for something he had done wrong.

Sara's sense of mischief came into play and she leaned close to Nick and whispered 'Was that the best you could do Nicky?' She chuckled as his head snapped up and he looked at her in shock. Deciding to speed things up, Sara put her lips to his.

She slid her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss. Nick gave in to the temptation that was Sara and gave his all, hoping that she would get what he could not yet put into words.

As they broke apart, Sara laid her head on Nick's chest and snuggled closer to him on the couch. She took his hand into hers and put their entwined hands on her stomach as she waited for him to speak. She knew that he had something he wanted to tell her, and she wished it was what she had been waiting to hear.

To tell the truth, Sara had always had a soft spot for Nick. He was her rock, a good friend that had always been quietly supportive. He was also one of the few people that could flirt blatantly with her or tease her and get away with it relatively unscathed.

After the graveyard shift was split up, they had not seen much of each other and had unconsciously started to drift apart. But when she had shouted at Catherine and been suspended, Nick had shown up at her doorstep. From that point on, they were closer than ever.

It had even reached the point where Sara felt that she was starting to fall for her best friend. Before she could do anything about it however, yesterday happened. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that anything like that could happen to one of their own on the job. And the fact that it was Nick had made it all the harder to take in.

It had hurt so much to watch the man who meant so much to her struggle to stay alive. It was such a relief when they had gotten him out. But she knew that the emotional scars ran deep and he would be affected by this for a long time. She hoped that he would give her a chance to help him through it. She hoped that he would give them a chance, whatever that may be.

'Nick.'

'Yeah?'

'I so glad you're ok.'

'Me too, Sara, me too.'

She felt him shift and move their positions a little so that he could look at her. 'Sara, I…ah…would you…like to … go…onadatewithme?' Nick stammered before finishing in a rush.

At that, Sara laughed out loud. He was just so cute when he was nervous. 'Oh Nicky…'

Nick thought that a rejection was coming and disentangled his hands from Sara's, trying to get away and lick his wounds in private. But Sara tugged him closer and whispered in his ear.

'I had been waiting for you to say that for some time now. The answer's yes. I'd love to.'

Nick stopped in his tracks and looked at her. What he saw in her eyes erased his doubts and took his breath away. She was looking at him with a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that he hoped was love-- for him. To him, she never looked more beautiful, although she had tear stains on her face and looked as though she had not slept for days.

He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, wanting to feel her, to make sure that this was true and not a dream. Sara Sidle had just agreed to go out with him, Nick Stokes. Maybe there was hope for them yet. It was still too early to tell, but Nick hoped that whatever happened between them -- was something special.

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A/N: Let it be said that I'm not too pleased with the ending, but my muse, having been on an extended holiday, is not yet in fully functional mode and run out of steam at the end. This is where my story ends and I have no plans to continue this, simply because I have no idea how to. Thanks for reading and reviewing! 


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